China’s Taiwan Affairs Office (TAO) Minister Zhang Zhijun (張志軍) on Friday said that the Chinese government is poised to carry out a series of previously promised incentive programs for Taiwanese businesses operating in China.
He said that he had earlier assured representatives of Taiwanese businesses that the Chinese government would not backtrack on the promises Chinese Premier Li Keqiang (李克強) affirmed during a meeting in Fujian Province on Wednesday.
Zhang made the pledge to former Taipei mayor Hau Lung-bin (郝龍斌), who is in Nanjing in his capacity as Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) vice chairman, leading a delegation of KMT officials for a series of events marking the 10th anniversary of a meeting between then-KMT chairman Lien Chan (連戰) and former Chinese president and Chinese Communist Party (CCP) general secretary Hu Jintao (胡錦濤).
Zhang said that at the meeting in Fujian, Li heard a myriad of concerns faced by Taiwanese businesspeople, including their misgivings over incentive programs, intellectual property protection and access to financing, and pledged that China would honor its previous commitments on those issues.
Meanwhile, the events commemorating the groundbreaking meeting between Lien and Hu are setting the stage for a meeting between Chinese President and CCP General Secretary Xi Jinping (習近平) and New Taipei City Mayor and KMT Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫) on May 4.
Zhang said it was more important than ever to review the progress made over the past decade and bolster future cross-strait ties.
Hau said it took great fortitude for leaders of both parties to step forward 10 years ago to begin the journey toward establishing peace between Taiwan and China, and progress in the endeavor had accelerated markedly since 2008.
The most tangible reflections of such efforts are the economic boost brought by the influx of Chinese visitors to Taipei and the many instances where a cross-strait agreement to fight crime and provide mutual legal assistance had borne fruit, Hau said.
Taiwan is to receive the first batch of Lockheed Martin F-16 Block 70 jets from the US late this month, a defense official said yesterday, after a year-long delay due to a logjam in US arms deliveries. Completing the NT$247.2 billion (US$7.69 billion) arms deal for 66 jets would make Taiwan the third nation in the world to receive factory-fresh advanced fighter jets of the same make and model, following Bahrain and Slovakia, the official said on condition of anonymity. F-16 Block 70/72 are newly manufactured F-16 jets built by Lockheed Martin to the standards of the F-16V upgrade package. Republic of China
Taiwan-Japan Travel Passes are available for use on public transit networks in the two countries, Taoyuan Metro Corp said yesterday, adding that discounts of up to 7 percent are available. Taoyuan Metro, the Taipei MRT and Japan’s Keisei Electric Railway teamed up to develop the pass. Taoyuan Metro operates the Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport MRT Line, while Keisei Electric Railway offers express services between Tokyo’s Narita Airport, and the Keisei Ueno and Nippori stations in the Japanese capital, as well as between Narita and Haneda airports. The basic package comprises one one-way ticket on the Taoyuan MRT Line and one Skyliner ticket on
Starlux Airlines, Taiwan’s newest international carrier, has announced it would apply to join the Oneworld global airline alliance before the end of next year. In an investor conference on Monday, Starlux Airlines chief executive officer Glenn Chai (翟健華) said joining the alliance would help it access Taiwan. Chai said that if accepted, Starlux would work with other airlines in the alliance on flight schedules, passenger transits and frequent flyer programs. The Oneworld alliance has 13 members, including American Airlines, British Airways, Cathay Pacific and Qantas, and serves more than 900 destinations in 170 territories. Joining Oneworld would also help boost
A new tropical storm formed late yesterday near Guam and is to approach closest to Taiwan on Thursday, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. Tropical Storm Pulasan became the 14th named storm of the year at 9:25pm yesterday, the agency said. As of 8am today, it was near Guam traveling northwest at 21kph, it said. The storm’s structure is relatively loose and conditions for strengthening are limited, WeatherRisk analyst Wu Sheng-yu (吳聖宇) said on Facebook. Its path is likely to be similar to Typhoon Bebinca, which passed north of Taiwan over Japan’s Ryukyu Islands and made landfall in Shanghai this morning, he said. However, it